Massawe Apia W, Rwamugira Winnie, Leirs Herwig, Makundi Rhodes H, Mulungu Loth, Ngowo V, Machang'u Robert
Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, TanzaniaCrop Science and Production, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, TanzaniaEvolutionary Biology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumDanish Pest Infestation Laboratory, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkRodent Control Centre, Morogoro, Tanzania.
Integr Zool. 2008 Mar;3(1):27-30. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2008.00070.x.
Studies of populations of the multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis in Morogoro, Tanzania, show that soil texture appears to influence the population abundance and distribution of these rats in agricultural fields. The lowest rodent population abundance was found on sandy clay soils (F((2, 5)) = 8.42; P= 0.025). The population abundances of M. natalensis on sandy clay loam and sandy loam soils did not differ significantly (P≤ 0.05), possibly because these soils have a very similar texture. The results of this study suggest that M. natalensis prefers loam-textured soils with a high percentage of sand, which are probably better than clay soils for burrowing and nesting, particularly in the rainy season. The lower preference for clay soils is probably related to the poor aeration in these soils and the waterlogging that occurs during the wet season.
对坦桑尼亚莫罗戈罗多乳鼠种群的研究表明，土壤质地似乎会影响这些大鼠在农田中的种群数量和分布。在砂质粘土上发现啮齿动物种群数量最低（F((2, 5)) = 8.42；P = 0.025）。多乳鼠在砂质粘壤土和砂壤土上的种群数量没有显著差异（P≤0.05），这可能是因为这些土壤质地非常相似。这项研究的结果表明，多乳鼠更喜欢砂含量高的壤土质地土壤，这种土壤可能比粘土更适合挖掘洞穴和筑巢，特别是在雨季。对粘土土壤的偏好较低可能与这些土壤通气性差以及雨季发生的涝渍有关。
